While some people know Aaron Tveit as Broadway’s boyfriend, others know him from TV or film. However viewers recognize the actor, though his filmography isn’t monumental or anything of the sorts, Tveit’s range is fascinating, providing fans with content in various genres to consume. The New York-born and raised actor started his film career in 2008 with a short titled Ghost Land. Before that, the actor’s stage debut began in 2003 when he joined the touring cast of Rent. Tveit went on to star in lead roles in Next to Normal, Catch Me If You Can, and the latest Tony-winning role, Christian, in Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Interestingly, during the 2021 Tony Awards, which picked up from 2020 nominations after the COVID-19 pandemic, Tveit was the only actor nominated in the Best Leading Actor in a Musical category.
As a singer and an actor, fans always want both his talents to shine out of the roles, but no matter what, Tveit is one of the most underrated actors of our time. Whether Tveit is starring in or a guest actor in any role, he embodies the character with such a careful understanding of who they are that it often leaves a lasting impact. Though Tveit’s Broadway credits are sensational, this article will examine some of his best TV and film roles, discussing his performances and the small details that make the characters captivating.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Gossip Girl
Warner Bros. Television
Gossip Girl centers around elite, rich kids living on the Upper East Side of New York. The teen drama is based on a book series of the same title by Cecily von Ziegesar. Starring now renowned stars like Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, Tveit’s role, though small, was a memorable one. He entered the story as William “Tripp” van der Bilt, Nate’s (Chase Crawford) cousin. The character is primarily unbearable throughout his run, stirring trouble and causing issues, while also having a fling with Lively’s Serena van der Woodsen. Despite the short-lived stint, fans of the series not only remember the characters years later, but still hate him as well, showcasing that Tveit’s job in crafting a horrible character worked.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 One Royal Holiday
Hallmark
Hallmark Christmas movies can be a hit or miss, and while One Royal Holiday falls somewhere in between, it’s still one of Tveit’s best roles. (This is especially the case when we consider the glorious cable-knit sweaters he gets to wear. Move over, Knives Out Chris Evans. There’s competition.) One Royal Holiday follows Tveit’s Prince James Galant, who’s stuck in a family-owned Bed and Breakfast after a snowstorm. There he meets Anna (Laura Osnes), and though the two get off on the wrong foot, naturally, as all holiday films go, they fall in love shortly after. While the film is overly cheesy and Tveit’s attempt at a British accent doesn’t always work, the holiday clichés make every minute a joyride regardless.
6 Schmigadoon!
Apple TV+
Apple TV Plus’ parody musical Schmigadoon! stars comedy stars Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key in a delirious spectacle where a couple is transported to a town (Schmigadoon) stuck in the 1940s. Melissa (Strong) and Josh (Key) learn that they can’t leave until they figure out whether or not their love is true, and there, they meet the riveting (and bizarre) figures in the town that help them find themselves. Tveit stars as Danny Bailey, the town’s playboy who has a brief fling with Melissa and consistently stirs the pot. Danny is based on Carousel’s Billy Bigelow, as most of the characters in the series are drawn from notable musical figures. The series was such a joyous hit in its first season that Apple TV renewed it for a second.
5 Undrafted
Vertical Entertainment
Written and directed by Bohemian Rhapsody’s Joseph Mazzello, Undrafted is an indie film carved from the real-life experiences of Mazzello’s brother, who was unfortunately passed up during the Major Leagues Baseball draft (via BUILD). Tveit plays the role of Mazzello’s brother John, aka Maz, and though the unfortunate news comes to him early, the film caters to the character (or, in this case, the actual person) still bringing his all to the team he cares most for. Undrafted primarily centers around a single game and where it leads each character, allowing quiet and raucous moments to dictate who they are and what matters most to them. It also stars teen heartthrobs like Chase Crawford, who starred in Gossip Girl, Tyler Hoechlin from Teen Wolf, and more.
4 Grease Live!
Paramount Television
There’s no denying that Grease is, unfortunately, a problematic musical for several reasons. But despite its flaws, the catchy tunes and fantastic performances make it memorable. And when it comes to Grease Live, which aired on Fox in 2016, every performer brought their A-game. Tveit starred in the lead role of Danny Zuko alongside Julianne Hough, Vanessa Hudgens, Keke Palmer, Jordan Fisher, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carlos Pena-Vega, and more. Tveit left everything on the Warner Brother’s stage in a role that required live singing and rigorous dancing, ultimately showing off his chops to a wide variety of viewers who’d never seen the actor performer before. If you were on Twitter that day while people were live-tweeting, you surely remember the conversations about the short shorts. We’ll leave it at that.
3 Graceland
Jeff Eastin & Warrior George Productions
USA Network’s Graceland is the first TV series Tveit starred in the main character. Developed by White Collar’s Jeff Eastin, Graceland centered around a group of undercover agents living together in a beach house in Los Angeles. Tveit played Mike Warren, a rookie-FBI agent straight out of Quantico, who’s initially sent to Graceland (the place they live in) to investigate top-dog FBI agent Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata). Though Graceland was canceled after its third season, Tveit brought some of his most harrowing performances to the character, taking him from a blue-collar goody-two-shoes to a hardened agent forced to make difficult decisions for the sake of the job.
2 BrainDead
CBS Television Distribution
CBS’ BrainDead is an underrated gem many still need to be made aware of and one of the few series where its cancelation resulted from being ahead of its time. The political satire aired in 2016 at the height of the United States presidential elections and centered around the ongoing conflicts between Democrats and Republicans. However, unlike most political dramas, this one came with a bizarre twist that sounds odd on paper — bugs invaded politicians’ brains, and it was up to our heroes to stop them. Tveit stars alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Tony Shalhoub in a hilariously witty comedy that carefully threads the height of politics with progressive social media stances in a fascinating manner. The character’s growth and journey result in riveting debates, and by the time it’s over, there’s also a delightful romance that fans can invest in.
1 Les Misérables
Universal Pictures
Many film fans first learned Tveit’s name in the 2012 star-studded adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. Tveit played ABC leader, Enjolras alongside Eddie Redmayne’s Marius. Tveit quickly stole the entire production as the headstrong fighter determined to die fighting for the revolution, and he does so in one of the most dramatic and glorious film deaths ever. Tveit brilliantly not only held his own throughout, but he brought edges to Enjolras that we rarely see in the live production, which came from his careful and nuanced understanding of the character’s deepest desires. Whether at the forefront of the scene or the background, Tveit consistently brought to life haunting depictions of what it means to risk everything for something you believe in.
